


Missing

by Auduna_Druitt



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Feeling of abandonment, Lost on an alien planet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 18:43:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auduna_Druitt/pseuds/Auduna_Druitt
Summary: What happens when a redshirt goes missing after an away mission gone bad?





	Missing

It was a routine mission. On the Enterprise of course those are famous last words. Everyone in security knew it, even the captain knew it but he’d still said it. Twelve hours after arriving planetside you found yourself lost and alone in the middle of some kind of forest. The rest of the landing party was either dead or missing, the comms weren’t working, and there had been no signs of a rescue party. 

You sat down on a fallen tree and wiped the sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand. You’d been walking for a while and your feet were beginning to tire. The sun was fading and the temperature was dropping, you’d have to find some kind of shelter soon or you weren’t going to make it through the night. Being a security officer on the Federation’s flagship was a dangerous thing and you had been fully prepared for the duties aboard the ship, but when it came down to survival skills you knew you were lacking in some areas. 

Standing to your feet you started back up the side of the largest hill you’d been able to find, hoping that once you reached the top you’d be able to reach the Enterprise. You knew it was a long shot but you had to try. The ship had been unable to scan for lifesigns thoroughly, some kind of interference in the atmosphere, but they’d still managed to get a message down to the native people. Chances were they’d already written you off as dead and left without you. The very thing you’d been afraid of since you joined up with the ship a few months ago.

You’d not made any friends to speak of outside of security, the head of security had taken a particular interest in you when you’d reported in on your first day. He was a good boss and was not that bad to look at either. He’d told you the story about how he met the captain for the first time and also mentioned that whatever you may hear to the contrary, never call him “cupcake”.

You reached the hilltop as the sun disappeared on the horizon. Pulling together the materials you needed to make a shelter you threw one together as the light faded into a darkness like none you’d ever seen before. You grabbed the phaser hanging from your belt and heat a large rock beside the shelter. Huddling as close to the rock as you can you look up to the stars. “I bet you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

## Up on the Enterprise

“Sir, she’s still alive down there! I know she is! We have to find her!”

“I understand Mister Hendorff. We will do everything we can to find her but the conditions at the moment are inhibiting our search. We aren’t going to leave her behind.” The captain said as calmly as he could.

Hendorff nodded and settled back in his chair and listened while the captain and Spock outlined a plan for search and rescue. You hadn’t been on the ship long but you were one of his favorites to work with. He’d gone down to the planet with you and the Captain and the rest of the security detail. You’d been assigned to assisting the captain while he’d gone off and scouted the area. 

He had wanted to stick closer to you but the Captain had insisted and he couldn’t disobey a direct order. He’d left the main group and not five minutes later the mission had gone to hell. Just like always. He’d beamed back with the captain and one of his men while three others had fallen and you were last seen running into the thick brush toward the assailants.

“Mister Hendorff?”

He looked up to find the captain and others around the table staring at him. “Sir?”

“I asked if you would gather your men and prep the shuttle. We’re going down there as soon as it’s light.”

Hendorff nodded as he stood to his feet, “Aye Captain.”

## Down on the planet

The phaser was drained before sunrise and the rock you had been heating had grown cold just as the sun peeked over the horizon. Every muscle in your body ached. You’d not had to run like that since grade school track. Mister Roberts was the worst. The meanest teacher you’d ever had, even the teachers at the academy had been easier to deal with than he had been. 

Shaking the memory and shivering in the cold morning air you stood to your feet and reached for your comm. “Damn it!” The comm wasn’t on your belt anymore. “Must have fallen off sometime last night.” 

Rubbing your hands over your arms in an attempt to warm yourself some you looked around the little shelter you’d spent the night in. 

No comm. 

No comm means they can’t lock on your signal. 

No signal means they have no way to know where you are. 

If they can’t locate you they’ll leave.

If there was one thing you’d learned while on the Enterprise it was just how expendable security personnel were. 

“They probably aren’t even up there anymore.” You said to yourself as you settled back into your little shelter and watched the sun rise slowly. 

## Enterprise shuttle bay

“Everything ready mister Hendorff?”

He nodded to the captain, “Yes sir.”

The captain clapped him on the shoulder. “Good. We’ve locked on to a signal coming from the area where she was last seen. With any luck we’ll have her back soon.”

Hendorff almost smiled as he followed the captain into the shuttle and the door closed behind him. Settling in and strapping the harness on his mind wandered to the first day he’d met you on the ship. 

You’d gotten hopelessly lost and been fifteen minutes late to your first shift. He’d planned on chewing you out for being late, but the moment you stepped in the door that changed. You’d been so flustered he just couldn’t do it. He’d watched out for you after that, helped you learn your way around the ship, made sure you had everything you needed. 

“Sir the temperature on the planet dropped.”

Hendorff looked up at the captain. He rose out of his seat and leaned into the cockpit. “How much Lieutenant?”

“Sir, it’s already below freezing and the temperature is still dropping.” 

The captain looked over the controls and reached for his comm. “Spock? Can you hear me?”

_“We read you captain.”_

“You seeing what we’re seeing down here?”

_“it appears that we have arrived at the beginning of the planet’s winter cycle. The temperature will continue to drop significantly.”_

“Tell Bones to prep for the worst case scenario and see if you can get a thermal scan of the surface.”

_“Yes captain. Mister Scott is working on the scan as we speak.”_

“Thank you Spock.”

## Planetside

You’d curled up beside the rock hoping for just a little warmth but finding the rock to have completely cooled. Realizing that you should probably find something to eat and drink you stood to your feet and started down the hillside toward the last water source you’d seen. You guessed you should at least try and stay alive, not that anyone was looking for you. A little over halfway down the hillside your foot slipped on the damp ground and you went tumbling down into the water below. 

“Shit!” You hissed as the cold water soaked through your uniform. 

Shivering you stood to your feet and sat down on the ground at the edge of the water. The air was colder than you had thought. Gathering what water you could in your emergency pack you headed back up the hill. It was windier than you had thought too. Setting off for the treeline you gathered more supplies for your shelter and set to work trying to block out as much wind as you could. 

Before long you started to lose the feeling in your fingers and you couldn’t stop shivering. Curling up in your little shelter you looked up at the bluegreen sky. “If you’re still up there…hurry.”

## Galileo shuttle

They’d been flying around the area they’d beamed out of for several hours. The light was beginning to fade and they were running out of time. With the temperatures dropping well below freezing Doctor McCoy had told them if they didn’t find you within the next couple of hours it wouldn’t be a rescue anymore, it would be a recovery. As the shuttle moved on to the next grid the lieutenant turned to the captain. 

“Sir, the interference is clearing.”

“Scan for lifesigns while we have a window. No telling how long it will last. We have to find her soon.”

“Sir, I’m reading sporadic lifesigns on the hillside up ahead.”

The captain leaned over the back of the chair and looked from the readout to the window. “Fly over and lets take a look.”

“Aye, Captain.” He steered the shuttle over toward the hillside, “Looks like some native animals sir, but….”

“What is it Lieutenant?”

“There’s something in the clearing at the top of the hill.”  

Hendorff stood to his feet and looked out the front window. “That looks like a shelter of some kind. It must be her. Sir?”

The captain nodded and patted the lieutenant on the back. “Set her down.” He turned to Hendorff, “Let’s go get our girl.”

The shuttle landed a short distance away from the makeshift shelter and the captain led the way out into the cold. As they got closer Hendorff took off running toward the shelter. “Sir! She needs medical!” He dropped to his knees beside you and felt desperate to find a pulse. 

The captain pulled out his comm, “Kirk to Enterprise, we found her!”

_“How’s she look, Jim?”_

“Not good Bones. Scotty?”

_“Aye Captain?”_

“Can you beam her up?”

_“Aye Captain. The interference has cleared, I should be able to beam her up.”_

He looked over at you. “Beam her straight to the medbay.”

_“Captain? Are you sure about that? I’ve never…We’ve never…”_

“Can you do it Scotty?”

_“Aye, I think so.”_

“Then do it!”

Hendorff stepped back as a golden light surrounded you and you vanished. All he could do was head back to the shuttle and wait. You were in Doctor McCoy’s hands.

## Medbay

“Get me blankets, warm compresses, and help me get these wet clothes off her!”

Hands and bodies go flying as various nurses scurried off for the requested items while others started stripping the frozen clothes off of you. Hendorff watched silently from an out of the way corner of the medbay. He watched them carefully removing the clothes and wrapping blankets around you while placing the compresses on certain points. Once Leonard stepped back Hendorff walked over to him. “Is she going to be okay Doctor McCoy?”

He shook his head, “She’s got a long road ahead of her, but I think she’ll come around.”

The first day was the hardest. You were pale and cold as death. Hendorff could barely look at you. Doctor McCoy assured him that once they got your temp up that you at least stood a chance at a full recovery. Over the next few days Hendorff dropped in frequently to check on you and see how you were doing. Doctor McCoy let him sit with you as long as he stayed out of the way.  

The first time you opened your eyes he was sitting there asleep. Doctor McCoy walked over and smiled. “It’s good to see you awake.” He said as he assessed your vitals.

Your eyes fell on the sleeping man in the chair behind him. He glanced over, “He’s been here everyday just to sit with you. He was really worried about you. We all were. You were in pretty bad shape when they found you. In fact you’re the first person I’ve ever had beamed directly to the medbay.”

You gave him a tiny smile and drifted off again. 

The next time you woke he was sitting beside your bed reading something on a PADD. You groaned and he jumped to his feet. “You’re awake! Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“Go easy Lieutenant. She just woke up.”

He nodded, “Sorry Doctor.”

“Can you feel this?” the doctor asked taking your hand in his. 

You nodded, “Yes.”

He smiled, “And I see you’ve found your voice. Just don’t try to talk too much.” Bending each of your fingers and flexing your wrist he watched for any indication of pain. “Doesn’t look like there’s any lasting nerve damage. I’ll let the two of you talk. Just promise you won’t overdo it.”

You smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

He walked away and Hendorff hesitantly took your hand in his. “You really scared me you know. I thought I might lose you and I really don’t want to lose you.”

You smiled and lightly squeezed his hand as a tear slipped down your cheek. “Didn’t think anyone cared.”

“I care.”


End file.
